That imperative — what we call keeping the lights on — motivates all of us at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to serve our electric co-op members every day.

The recent bomb cyclone highlighted how important and challenging that can be. At the same time Colorado farmers and other consumers were dealing with the challenges of that blizzard; we were working overtime to provide them with power.

Ironically, the storm’s intense winds were too strong to effectively power our wind turbines, which were also hampered by accumulated ice. Meanwhile, the heavy cloud cover limited the effectiveness of solar panels.

So our coal- and gas-powered generation resources stepped up and effectively filled the gap left by the drastically diminished renewable resources. While there were some power outages as the storm affected transmission and distribution facilities, we ensured that we had power available for our member co-ops that heated homes and powered businesses at this trying time.

That’s the eternal challenge of electricity generation – planning not for the ideal sunny, breezy days but for the most challenging moments – and that’s why we take a balanced and measured approach to our evolving energy mix.

At Tri-State, we’re big on renewable power. So far in 2019, we’ve announced new solar and wind projects that will boost our output from these two sources by 45 percent.

In February, we announced a 104-megawatt power purchase agreement that enables the construction of the Crossing Trails Wind Farm located approximately 20 miles south of the Town of Seibert within the service territory of K.C. Electric Association, a Tri-State member system serving three counties in eastern Colorado. This will be Tri-State’s fifth large wind energy investment.

In January, we announced the 100-megawatt Spanish Peaks Solar Project, our fourth large solar project, also in rural Colorado. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association says we’re the country’s largest solar generation and transmission cooperative.

Even before these projects come online, nearly a third of the energy consumed within our cooperative family comes from emission-free renewable sources, including the reliable hydropower, which has a long and proud tradition in the West.

Our business model is a key distinction between for-profit utilities and Tri-State, which is a not-for-profit wholesale cooperative power supplier owned by 43 electric cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. While for-profit utilities deliver profits to private investors, our cooperative model keeps our focus on the best interests of our members’ 1.3 million consumer members.

That drives our unrelenting focus on limiting costs and that is why, for example, our board last year was able to approve capital credit refunds of $30 million. We haven’t had a rate increase in four of the last five years and don’t forecast an increase in the next three years.

While our rates are competitive with other utilities, the unique challenges and higher costs of delivering electricity across sparsely populated rural communities must be recognized.

Rural electric cooperatives nationally serve an average of eight consumers per mile of electric line. In contrast, all other utilities average 32 customers per mile of line, collecting four times as much revenue per mile. Comparing costs among different types of electric utilities does not reflect the realities we face.

At Tri-State, we recognize the critical importance of farmers and we keep their needs top of mind. That’s why will continue to serve our members who provide rural communities with the electricity they depend on every day. I invite Rocky Mountain Farmers Union to engage with us to better understand all we do to deliver affordable, reliable and responsible power to our members and their farming communities.